"Babyn Yar. Voices": San Francisco Stage Production Brings Marianna Kiyanovska's Poetry to Life
The Wandering Stars theater presented a poetic performance at Ukrainian Hall San Francisco about one of the most tragic chapters of World War II. The run continues, with the next performance on October 18.
Last Sunday, silence filled the auditorium of Ukrainian Hall in San Francisco. The audience had gathered for "Babyn Yar. Voices," staged by the Wandering Stars theater, which operates under the nonprofit organization Hromada. The production is based on poems by Marianna Kiyanovska, written in the voices of those murdered at Babyn Yar. The actors let those voices speak once again, and the audience listened in breathless silence.
A History They Tried to Erase
Babyn Yar in Kyiv remains one of the most harrowing symbols of the Holocaust. In just two days, September 29–30, 1941, Nazi forces shot 33,771 Jews there: women, children, and the elderly. Over the two years of occupation, historians estimate that around 100,000 people were killed in the ravine. Roughly two-thirds of them were Jewish.
The victims also included Roma, whose camps were wiped out family by family; tens of thousands of Soviet prisoners of war, among them inmates of the Syrets camp; 621 members of the Ukrainian nationalist underground, including the poet Olena Teliha; 752 patients of the Pavlov Psychiatric Hospital; as well as hostages, resistance members, and civilians of many nationalities.
For decades, Soviet authorities suppressed the memory of the tragedy: the ravine was filled in and built over, and remembrance of the victims was pushed out of public life.
"Never Again," Today
The organizers stress that the performance carries special weight as Russia's war against Ukraine enters its fifth year. On March 1, 2022, Russian missiles struck near Babyn Yar, and people once again died on that ground. Bucha, Izium, Mariupol, deported children, destroyed cities: for the production's creators, these are evidence of a renewed attempt to wipe out an entire people. Remembering, they say, means not only honoring the dead but also fighting for the living.
Voices of the Evening
The evening opened with remarks by Mykola Dzhyhun, Consul of the Consulate General of Ukraine in San Francisco. Mark Bass spoke about his visits to Ukraine and his work helping Ukrainian families. One of the most moving moments came from Yana Rathman, who shared the tragic story of her own family.
The production was directed by Yelena Bilyak, who took on demanding poetic material and turned it into a work for the stage. The event was supported by Immaculate Conception Ukrainian Catholic Church in San Francisco, led by Rev. Oleh Kepeshchuk. Hromada volunteers prepared refreshments for the audience, and the technical crew handled lighting, sound, and music. Oleg Stelmakh captured the evening in photos and video.
Support That Continues
The evening also featured a charity auction. After expenses, the organizers raised $4,153.24 for Hromada's humanitarian projects. You can support the organization's initiatives at hromada.us or through its fundraising page on Zeffy.
Next Performance: October 18
Those who haven't yet seen "Babyn Yar. Voices" will have another chance on October 18. Tickets are available on Sharvarok: sharvarok.com
Learn more about the actors and the theater on the Wandering Stars Facebook page.
We remember. We fight. We live. 💙💛
